[warnsey]

I was wondering what are peoples thoughts on the two.

If you have had one or both, what are your thoughts?

What do they sound like?

Cheers

 

[ReDVsion]

Although I know some would disagree, personally I find them to sound quite similar. Which is the better deal for you is really dependant on your music preferences. Both are dark-sounding cans with a fantastic midrange (the K240S has a slight edge in this regard). Bass on the K271 is similar sounding, but better defined/more controlled. There's a significant amount more bass on the K240, but I still think the K271 has slightly more bass than what I would consider 'neutral' for their sound signature. Detail is significantly better on the K271 in all respects (bass, mids, trebles). The K240 is airier-sounding since they're not a fully-closed design. All this said, the K271 is a much more all-around headphone than the K240S is. I can listen to just about anything with the K271; the K240 only works with certain genres (most notably rock, jazz, and hip-hop). If you listen to a lot of electronic or classical music I cannot recommend the K240S. Hope this helps.

 

[philodox]

I basically agree with Redvision here... do a search if you want to find some more detailed impressions, I've discussed this in some detail on Head-Fi in the past.

 

[SaturnNyne]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ReDVsion Although I know some would disagree, personally I find them to sound quite similar. ... Both are dark-sounding cans with a fantastic midrange (the K240S has a slight edge in this regard).

I agree with most of what's been said so far, but I'm surprised to see the K271 described as dark. I suppose it's all relative (I find the 271 to be slighly towards the brighter side of my collection), but compared to the 240S the highs seem quite pronounced. Overall, I'm surprised by how much the two have in common.

 

[pbalcer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by warnsey I was wondering what are peoples thoughts on the two. If you have had one or both, what are your thoughts? What do they sound like? Cheers

I've got both (now). As it was said before, K271S is tad more detailed with a bit more controlled bass. K240S is a bit darker with deeper bass (I do not find it "bloated" as some people do, though). I would say that K271S is more of a monitoring headphones (a tad better balanced) while K240S is very smooth, warm and relaxing - perfect for night time listening to "electronica", "jazz" or "weird" music ("weird" in a good sense - like titles/artists under "4AD" label).

Funny thing happens when I switch between K271S and K240S.
When I switch from K271S to K240S, it feels like relaxing in the dark on a soft cushions in front of a fireplace with favourite beverage in hand...
When I switch from K240S to K271S it feels a bit weird - the sound is technically slightly better but lacks something (I'm still unable to define what this "something" is)... This feeling goes away after few minutes.

Aside from what has been already said, K271S soundstage is very wide but flat (but K271S still sounds almost like open cans - I have no idea how AKG engineers managed that). K240S' soundstage is wide _and_ deep. In fact K240S is the only headphones I own that give me the impression of true 3D sound.

Another thing that has to be mentioned is that K271S is closed cans and provide quite good noise isolation. Right now the temperatures here in Toronto range from high 30s to 40s Cellsius and with air conditioner on it is simply impossible to enjoy open headphones. K271 are the only headphones delivering good sound under these conditions.